Minority demands payment of Prisons Officers’ allowance arrears

Current Affairs

Els: MBN360 News

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has raised concerns over the delay in the payment of non-salary-related allowances to officers of the Ghana Prisons Service, calling for immediate action to settle the arrears.

In a statement issued on Monday, February 23, 2026, and signed by Deputy Ranking Member of the Committee on Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions, Frank Asiedu Bekoe, the Caucus said it had taken note of a recent communiqué from the Prisons Administration confirming that three-quarters of Rent Allowance, covering the second to fourth quarters of 2025, remain unpaid.

The Minority described the situation as worrying, stressing that the Ghana Prisons Service remains a critical pillar of the country’s national security framework.

According to the statement, officers continue to perform their duties under challenging conditions with dedication and discipline and therefore deserve timely fulfillment of their entitlements.

The Caucus warned that delays in paying statutory allowances place significant financial pressure on officers and their families, particularly in meeting rental and other essential domestic obligations. It added that compromising the welfare of security personnel could negatively affect morale, operational efficiency, and ultimately national security stability.

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The Minority emphasized that its concerns were not partisan but rooted in the protection of labor rights and institutional integrity. It maintained that prompt payment of allowances is essential to sustaining a motivated and productive public sector.

The group called on the Ministry of Finance and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department to provide an immediate and transparent timeline for the release of funds to clear the outstanding arrears. It also urged the Ministry of the Interior to strengthen coordination among relevant institutions to prevent a recurrence of such delays in the 2026 fiscal year.

While acknowledging efforts by the Prisons Administration to engage higher levels of government on the matter, the Minority encouraged continued transparency with officers of the Service.

The Caucus commended personnel of the Ghana Prisons Service for what it described as patience and restraint, urging them to maintain professionalism as efforts are made to resolve the issue.

It assured officers that it would deploy all available parliamentary oversight mechanisms to ensure the matter is brought to a satisfactory conclusion, insisting that the State must honour its obligations to its workers.